Published: Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 5:22 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 5:22 p.m.

The idea of a grocery run means something very different for Nicole Boucher than for shoppers of her parent's generation. An outing might involve three, possibly four, stops depending on the day, and that's before you take her hummus jones into account. "With basic grocery shopping I still compare the sales and shop the ads for the stores. I still get a lot of my produce from the farmer's markets or Harris Teeter," the 34-year-old said. "But my major thing is specialty cheeses and hummus, I'm big into dips, tahini, all kinds of sauces. For that I have been relying now on Whole Foods and Trader Joe's exclusively."

Not just chasing the latest and greatest, Boucher said it's extensive comparative shopping that has led her to a list of favorite destinations. "Carolina Farmin' has an amazing meat department," she said. "I've bought a ribeye (steak) from them and Harris Teeter and cooked it to compare. Carolina Farmin' has them beat hands down."

Christie Burris, a spokesperson with the North Carolina Retail Merchant's Association, said customers like Boucher are more the norm in today's competitive retail grocery marketplace.

Stores looking for niches

Wilmington shoppers have been enjoying the fruits of that trend, with several significant newcomers and renovations in the past year. With a built-in legion of fans, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods both opened to great fanfare, the locally-owned Carolina Farmin' recently celebrated its one-year anniversary and Harris Teeter launched a remodeling program with a major overhaul of its Oleander Drive location.

And supermarkets increasingly carve out niches to leverage the behavior of shoppers like Boucher, Burris said, citing a recent example in Charlotte that saw a Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods essentially swap locations to better serve their customer bases.

"Consumers are making decisions to go to three, sometimes four stores to meet their needs," Burris said. "That's just their (the stores') way of being competitive in a changing marketplace."

While Burris couldn't speak as to how individual businesses make decisions, it's clear the state's grocery footprint is expanding rapidly.

"North Carolina was ranked seventh for total income growth. They (food retailers) see this as a place where even though unemployment is higher, personal income has been growing," said Burris, citing statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. "There's definitely data out there that's supporting growth decisions, especially as we emerge from this recession."

Of course, where we shop isn't the only thing changing. How we shop is getting a second look as well, as the very idea of a grocery run continues to evolve.

Boucher is just one of scores who have begun to see a pantry-stocking outing as a chance to grab a nosh as well. Touting a pizzeria, sushi made on site and a rambling hot bar, the dining area at Whole Foods, like an increasing number of grocers, nearly matches the footprint of the store's retail side. Carolina Farmin' has tweaked its own buffet to create a mealtime destination on an otherwise limited stretch of Market Street. It's a progression Boucher sees as a reasonable solution to a classic problem. "Sometimes I want to grab a bite to eat before I shop, because it's not good to shop hungry," she said.

Food adventures for all

And it isn't just the young and hip changing their ways. Jerry Bullock, who enthusiastically rejoiced in the circus-like atmosphere at the Whole Foods opening last May, is far from that store's traditional customer, at least as far as popular conception goes.

"I'm a born and bred redneck, and my son manages the Piggly Wiggly in Leland," the 63-year-old said, baring his loyalties. "Honestly, I do a lot of cooking, a lot of barbecue, and I'm very open minded when it comes to food. We just went to Trader Joe's, and they have a lot of different things to offer, but as far as what we're accustomed to here in the South, there aren't that many stores that cater to the redneck palate."

Bullock, deft with a blade, worked for the long-defunct Wilmington Country Meats before trading in his butcher's apron for an HVAC career decades ago. But it doesn't take much prying for him to reveal his food-loving roots. Or to eke out a confession, as it appears Trader Joe's might have worked its way into his rotation.

"It's really good to have them here because of the variety. And, I'm ashamed to say it, my wife found some Italian biscotti breads there that she loves to dip in her coffee."

<p>The idea of a grocery run means something very different for Nicole Boucher than for shoppers of her parent's generation. An outing might involve three, possibly four, stops depending on the day, and that's before you take her hummus jones into account. "With basic grocery shopping I still compare the sales and shop the ads for the stores. I still get a lot of my produce from the farmer's markets or Harris Teeter," the 34-year-old said. "But my major thing is specialty cheeses and hummus, I'm big into dips, tahini, all kinds of sauces. For that I have been relying now on Whole Foods and Trader Joe's exclusively."</p><p>Not just chasing the latest and greatest, Boucher said it's extensive comparative shopping that has led her to a list of favorite destinations. "Carolina Farmin' has an amazing meat department," she said. "I've bought a ribeye (steak) from them and Harris Teeter and cooked it to compare. Carolina Farmin' has them beat hands down."</p><p>Christie Burris, a spokesperson with the North Carolina Retail Merchant's Association, said customers like Boucher are more the norm in today's competitive retail grocery marketplace.</p><h3>Stores looking for niches</h3>
<p>Wilmington shoppers have been enjoying the fruits of that trend, with several significant newcomers and renovations in the past year. With a built-in legion of fans, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods both opened to great fanfare, the locally-owned Carolina Farmin' recently celebrated its one-year anniversary and Harris Teeter launched a remodeling program with a major overhaul of its Oleander Drive location.</p><p>And supermarkets increasingly carve out niches to leverage the behavior of shoppers like Boucher, Burris said, citing a recent example in Charlotte that saw a Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods essentially swap locations to better serve their customer bases. </p><p>"Consumers are making decisions to go to three, sometimes four stores to meet their needs," Burris said. "That's just their (the stores') way of being competitive in a changing marketplace."</p><p>While Burris couldn't speak as to how individual businesses make decisions, it's clear the state's grocery footprint is expanding rapidly.</p><p>"North Carolina was ranked seventh for total income growth. They (food retailers) see this as a place where even though unemployment is higher, personal income has been growing," said Burris, citing statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. "There's definitely data out there that's supporting growth decisions, especially as we emerge from this recession."</p><p>Of course, where we shop isn't the only thing changing. How we shop is getting a second look as well, as the very idea of a grocery run continues to evolve.</p><p>Boucher is just one of scores who have begun to see a pantry-stocking outing as a chance to grab a nosh as well. Touting a pizzeria, sushi made on site and a rambling hot bar, the dining area at Whole Foods, like an increasing number of grocers, nearly matches the footprint of the store's retail side. Carolina Farmin' has tweaked its own buffet to create a mealtime destination on an otherwise limited stretch of Market Street. It's a progression Boucher sees as a reasonable solution to a classic problem. "Sometimes I want to grab a bite to eat before I shop, because it's not good to shop hungry," she said.</p><h3>Food adventures for all</h3>
<p>And it isn't just the young and hip changing their ways. Jerry Bullock, who enthusiastically rejoiced in the circus-like atmosphere at the Whole Foods opening last May, is far from that store's traditional customer, at least as far as popular conception goes.</p><p>"I'm a born and bred redneck, and my son manages the Piggly Wiggly in <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9971"><b>Leland</b></a>," the 63-year-old said, baring his loyalties. "Honestly, I do a lot of cooking, a lot of barbecue, and I'm very open minded when it comes to food. We just went to Trader Joe's, and they have a lot of different things to offer, but as far as what we're accustomed to here in the South, there aren't that many stores that cater to the redneck palate."</p><p>Bullock, deft with a blade, worked for the long-defunct Wilmington Country Meats before trading in his butcher's apron for an HVAC career decades ago. But it doesn't take much prying for him to reveal his food-loving roots. Or to eke out a confession, as it appears Trader Joe's might have worked its way into his rotation. </p><p>"It's really good to have them here because of the variety. And, I'm ashamed to say it, my wife found some Italian biscotti breads there that she loves to dip in her coffee."</p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9919"><b>Paul Stephen</b></a>: 343-2041</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @pauljstephen</p>